made him seem taller, with shoulders pulled straight despite his obvious exhaustion. They were good shoulders, strong and broad. His chest was smooth, lean muscles under golden skin shining with sweat and streaked with dried blood.
He reined in and nodded greeting. “Welcome, my lady.”
She inclined her head. “Thank you, my lord.” Her voice worked. Amazing.
“May I have the honor of presenting my sister’s husband? Lord Chaynal of Radzyn Keep.”
She looked into a pair of compelling gray eyes set deep into a tanned face. “My lord,” she acknowledged with a slightly less formal nod. He was, she supposed, quite devastatingly handsome. His intense interest in her was just this side of embarrassing, and a corner of his mouth curved in a small, wry smile.
“I am indeed honored, my lady,” he said, and bent his head to her.
Sioned remembered civility and gestured to the friends flanking her on either side. “My lord, may I make my companions known to you? Ostvel, Second Steward of Goddess Keep, and the Sunrunner Camigwen. These others are my friends as well.”
“You are all most welcome to my lands,” the prince said, and Sioned’s body went nerveless. His lands, not his father’s. They were in mourning gray for the old prince, and that meant that she would be marrying not an heir but a ruler in his own right. He was still speaking, and she attended desperately to his words. “It’s fortunate that my business concluded in time for me escort you to Stronghold. Lady Andrade will be pleased to see you safely arrived.”
“I look forward to talking with her,” Sioned heard herself say.
Lord Chaynal’s eyes said, I’ll just bet you do, and the corner of his mouth lifted a little higher. But the prince’s face was perfectly calm as he said, “My lady, will you do me the favor of a few moments’ private conversation?”
Before she could answer he swung down off his horse and she remembered at the last instant to let him lift her from her saddle. His fingers closed around her waist and she blushed, hoping her sunburn would hide the rush of color. If it was this way with layers of clothes between them, how would it be when skin touched skin? Sioned stared at the toes of her boots as she walked, struggling for control, and as they moved away from the others she risked a glance at him. Her eyes were on a level with his lips. She wondered what his smile was like and let her gaze travel down to where a pulse beat rapidly in his throat. Realizing he was as tense as she, Sioned relaxed a little.
“Your business looks to have been dangerous,” she said in an astonishingly composed voice. “It’s not your own blood, I trust?”
“No. A dragon’s. He drew only a little of mine.” He spoke almost absently, his gaze fixed on the hills.
Sioned resolved to keep her mouth shut unless he asked her a direct question. Many more strides were paced off across the white-gold sand before he stopped, faced her, and spoke in a rush. “You know why you’re here, and so do I. Andrade expects us to marry.”
“Andrade expects many things,” Sioned answered.
“Further,” he went on as if she hadn’t spoken, “she expects it to happen soon. But it can’t. Not yet.” He looked into her eyes. His were very blue, with circles of black around the outside of the irises. “Please believe me when I tell you that I will marry you and no other woman. I knew it from the moment Andrade conjured your face in the Fire. But there are things I must do before we can marry. Some of them may hurt you, and for that I’m sorry—but my father is dead, I’m ruling prince, and what a prince must do a man often regrets.”
Sioned was deprived of the powers of speech by this extraordinary recital. She simply stared at him.
“I must show everyone what manner of prince I intend to be,” he went on. “I’ll explain it all to you once there’s time, and I’m hoping you’re the kind of woman who can understand such things. If not, you’ll have to learn,” he said bluntly. “But I wouldn’t do them if they weren’t necessary for our life together. I want to live in peace, not at the point of a sword. Do you understand?”
She was still incapable of speaking, but for a different reason now. “It’ll start for us when we arrive at Stronghold. I’ve killed the